


away from the people on the ground

by aphwhales



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Episode Fix-It: s07e05 The Angels Take Manhattan, F/M, Honestly I don't know what to tag this, and facts about penn station and stuff, i wrote this for me but yall can read it if you like, train facts and deodorant facts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2019-07-24
Packaged: 2020-07-12 17:00:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19949719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aphwhales/pseuds/aphwhales
Summary: Fix-it for "The Angels Take Manhattan"The TARDIS can't be parked in New York City... but it can be parked at a train station that can take them to New York City.





	away from the people on the ground

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first dw fic! amy and rory are my favorite companions and the angels take manhattan made me Sad. so here is my attempt at a fix it fic
> 
> i wrote this in one sitting at 1am and i really hope you can't tell.  
> tumblr @asriells
> 
> ETA 7/11/2020: yes i know that this is impossibel because i understand dw more. no im not gonna take it down because i like it lmao

Amy is wide-eyed and breathing heavy enough that her entire body heaves as she stares at the angel. “That gravestone, Rory's, there's room for one more name, isn't there?”

“What are you talking about? Back away from the Angel,” The Doctor grabs her hand but she wrenches it from his grip with a strength begotten from grief. “Come back to the TARDIS. We'll figure something out.”

“The Angel, would it send me back to the same time? To him?” Amy’s gaze is fierce as she stared at the Angel, and if looks could kill, it would be dead. 

The Doctor glances at River - a silent plea, _Don’t look away, don’t even blink!_ \- and River nods rapidly. Amy, in front of them, determinedly staring at the angel, misses the exchange. 

And is therefore caught off guard when the Doctor throws his entire weight into her and shoves her backward into the TARDIS. “No! Let me go! Rory!” 

Behind them, River runs in, her back to them, still not blinking, and in heels, but still far more graceful than the Doctor could have managed. 

“I’m sorry,” The Doctor grunts as he holds Amy from running out the doors. The TARDIS rocks slightly as the lone angel tries to get in. “We’re going to figure something out.” 

~

Later, the Doctor and River sit in the console room, during what could ostensibly be called nighttime in the time vortex. There was a bag of - most likely years old - frozen peas over the Doctor’s left eye, and god only knew how many bruises he would have in his sides come morning. 

“You said we would find a way to get him,” River begins, face absent of her usual smug look. “Well, sweetie?” 

“If we could somehow land outside New York City…” The Doctor groans. “The city is the problem! It’s a big, tightly wound ball of paradoxes waiting to happen, so the TARDIS can’t land there!” 

“There are trains into New York. We might even be able to get on without a ticket,” River suggests, moving from leaning on the console to lean on the railing next to the jump seat on which the Doctor sat.

“Trains. Trains! Yes!” The Doctor looks positively giddy now, and River’s smug look is back. “Yes, there have been trains from Long Island to the city for two decades by the time Rory got to New York!” As he jumps to action, he adds, “I would know, I was there when they opened Grand Central in 1913, Penn in 1910, and started operating the Long Island Railroad in 1834.”

“Both stations are about equal distance from Battery Park,” River begins. “So -” 

“Battery Park?” The Doctor looks up from the console, nearly comically askew due to his frantic worrying and Amy’s assault. “Why would we go to Battery Park?” 

“Well,” River replies, matter-of-factly, “considering the cemetery was near Battery Park…” 

“Oh. Oh!” 

“Yes. Penn will be closer, more direct. I’m not sure how the subways are in 1938,” River rolls her eyes good-naturedly. “We’ll be doing a bit of walking.” 

“That would be the city for you,” The Doctor snorts, throwing a lever. “Where on Long Island? The when is, of course, 1938. The where - a train station! But - “ He steps close to River, their noses nearly touching. “Which?” 

~

“Here we are,” The Doctor opens the doors to the TARDIS with a flourish. She’d had no trouble landing this far from the city. “1938. Ronkonkoma, New York. Opened in 1883, Not. Yet. Electrified! Let’s go!” 

They didn’t have any money, but that was okay. It was early yet, and since most of the people on this train were regular commuters the ticketmaster hadn’t bothered checking. 

“Ah, Pennsylvania Station,” River smiles as they step into the station proper. “Smells worse than usual.” 

“We _are_ in 1938,” Amy tells her. She’s still slightly downtrod - the Doctor guesses she doesn’t want to get her hopes up, in case rescuing Rory goes… wrong, somehow. “Maybe deodorant hasn’t been invented yet.”

“Invented 1888,” states the Doctor, striding toward the sunlight streaming in from 8th Avenue. “Wasn’t quite popular until during the Second World War, unfortunately.” 

~

Something echoes in his head, something about time travel without a capsule being difficult. 

Something the Doctor had said once, maybe. Or River.  
Actually, he’s just hit his head on a gravestone. When Rory turns to read it, the name is so faded that he can’t even feel it when he runs his fingers over it. 

It’s a gorgeous day, which makes everything worse. He’s separated from Amy by time and space and paradoxes. The sun is shining and his mood is sour. Rory twists the wedding band on his finger around a few times, to reassure himself it’s still there. _I’m never gonna see Amy again._

Then, he gets up and resolves to stop feeling sorry for himself. Which is kind of impossible, seeing as he’s now seventy-four years behind of his wife. So instead he just decides to leave the cemetery and into the park proper. 

He could do with some coffee, and he still has some money from his failed attempt to get Amy and the Doctor coffee before.

~

They end up hailing a taxi, because River estimates that it will take an hour to walk to Battery Park from Penn, but only fifteen minutes for a taxi to drive there. 

“Of course,” the Doctor grits his teeth, glaring at River, who, unlike him, unfazed by the New York traffic. “That’s if there’s _no traffic_!” 

“It’s still faster than walking,” River, stuck in the middle seat between the Doctor and Amy, but taking this, like all else, in stride. 

Amy is strangely quiet, staring into space.

“Penny for your thoughts, mother dear?” River asks, placing a hand on her knee as the Doctor curses New York City’s traffic under his breath. 

“It’s - it’s just. It feels like it’s been a long time,” Amy sighs. “Since I saw him last, I mean.” 

“Why,” the Doctor edges his way across River’s lap to stare at Amy, “are American drivers absolute _rubbish_?!” 

~

Battery Park stands before them, green and bright. Amy and River squint against the sun, while the Doctor puts a hand over his face to shield it. 

“Right, do you think he’d leave the cemetery?” Amy asks. “I would’ve.” 

“Hm, hard to say. Sweetie, could you screwdriver track him?” River asks. 

“Maybe. He’d have residual time energy - _oh_ , I can definitely track him!” 

River smirks at Amy as the Doctor fiddles with the probe. 

“The time energy from the Angels and from the TARDIS will make him stick out like a - a…” The Doctor waves his hands around, nearly stabbing Amy with the sonic screwdriver in the process. 

“A sore thumb?” Amy hazards. “Or, we could, y’know, look for him.” 

The Doctor rolls his eyes. “Always wanting to do things the boring way, Pond.” But he grins at her. 

~

Coffee is good, but it hasn’t helped him think. Rory still has no clue what to do. 

Also, every time he sees a woman with long, ginger hair, he has to do a double take, and then blink the tears out of his eyes. And he keeps looking around for statues impulsively. 

He purposefully picked an area in the park with few statues, and many people, though. 

“- could have left the park already, maybe to find somewhere to spend the night.” The voice is familiar, but every voice sounds familiar. He _wants_ it to be familiar. 

~

“He could have left the park already, maybe to find somewhere to spend the night,” River frowns, after hours of searching the North and Western parts of the park. “It’s getting late.”

“Actually…” The Doctor is standing in front of bench, looking entirely to pleased with himself. The man sitting on it is facing the other way. 

_He looks like Rory,_ Amy thinks.

“Our Rory Pond is right! Here!” The man on the bench jumps when the Doctor slaps his head. 

But it’s Rory. It really is. He drops his coffee and falls over the back of the bench in his haste to hug Amy tightly. 

“Oh my god,” Amy sobs, “I’m never going to let you out of my sight again, you idiot.” 

Rory exhales shakily. “I. I can live with it, I think.”


End file.
